1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a pet toy and, more particularly, to a pet toy having an interactive stimulus that actively engages the pet's senses during use.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many available pet toys on the market, including toys that are intended for use as an object that the pet engages and chases. Most use various visual stimulus, such as shapes, ridges, and differing colors to provide visual attractants or stimuli to create interest by the pet in the toy. However, it has been found that by engaging additional senses, a pet toy can provide more entertainment to the pet and the owner.
One such type of interactive toy including pet toys that dispense treats upon rolling or movement of the toy. However, these toys provide for the insertion of the treats into cavities within the toy and for dispensing based on movement or rotation of the toy. The present invention is markedly different by providing a spherical pet toy having either a gripping means in which at least one consumable pet treat is inserted and held until extracted by the pet, or an audible stimulus that is engaged by movement of the toy, or both. The physical stimuli of an embedded food item utilizes sight, smell and taste to ultimately provide exercise to the muscles, strengthens teeth and gums, and extracts harmful plaque from the teeth of a pet, as well as. The audible stimuli of sound can be used additionally to engage the instinctive response from many breeds of cats or dogs.
These, among other disclosed advantages and features, overcome many of the deficiencies outlined and inherent within the known prior art.